Rights holders should question the value of intrusive on-field and mid-event advertising that might damage their relationship with fans, according to specialist sponsorship consultant Kim Skildum-Reid.
Speaking at the Sport is Fantastic conference in Sydney Australia, Skildum-Reid conceded that research had shown that on-field advertising offered a short-term brand recall lift to sponsors, but its longer-term brand building value was questionable.
She said rights holders offered it to sponsors as part of the benefits of overall sponsorship packages, but they might get a better return by focusing on strategies that personalised their relationship with fans and boosted ticket sales.
More research was needed on the impact of on-field advertising for rights holders and whether they might generate better ROI from other longer term strategy, Skildum-Reid said.
"Nobody ever asks the question, do you love your team more? Is your day better [because of the sign]? The incremental value of interrupting someone’s experience is not that high… rights holders should seek better leveraging programs."
